Effects of predation depend on successional stage and recruitment rate in shallow benthic assemblages of the Southwestern Atlantic

Vieira, Edson A.; Dias, Gustavo Muniz; Flores, Augusto A. V.

doi:10.1007/s00227-016-2872-4

Cited by 26 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…This species exhibited the lowest persistence, likely as a result of low‐survival rate and the lack of conspecific cues leading to colony clusters and thus the formation of larger and more resistant patches. Low resistance to predation, as previously observed for ascidians in the study area (Oricchio, Flores, & Dias, ; Vieira et al., , ) and elsewhere (Jurgens, Freestone, Ruiz, & Torchin, ; Osman & Whitlatch, ) may have played an important role. As such, we conclude that potentially strong competitors, as B. nigrum , may impose very limited priority effects on community structure because they fail to persist under average environmental conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…By forcing sets of experimental assemblages to be founded by functionally different sessile invertebrates, we provide here independent and novel evidence for the unique role of Schizoporella species worldwide in the determination of benthic community dynamics. In our study area, S. errata seems to be the strongest competitor in artificial hard substrates, owing both to its fast growth and resistance to predators (Vieira et al., ; Oricchio, Flores, & Dias, ; Oricchio, Pastro et al., ). Differently from earlier studies showing later Schizoporella die‐off and subsequent species replacement after 1 year (Sutherland, ; Sutherland & Karlson, ), high year‐round recruitment of S. errata likely allows this species to regain space and persist longer in the study area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…This site is a recreational marina with a diverse fouling system growing on the sides of the floating blocks. Previous studies showed that the sessile community is dominated mostly by colonial ascidians and encrusting and arborescent bryozoans, but also sponges, barnacles, bivalves, polychaetes, and hydrozoans (Oricchio, Flores, & Dias, ; Oricchio, Pastro et al., ; Vieira, Dias, & Flores, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We selected three invertebrate species that are common in the study area since early colonization to test how historical contingency related to variable colonization and eventual priority effects promoted by size advantage influences the development and structure of sessile communities: the flat soft‐bodied colonial ascidian Botrylloides nigrum , the flat calcified encrusting bryozoan Schizoporella errata, and the erect arborescent bryozoan Bugula neritina . Both flat founders are good space monopolizers (Kay & Keough, ; Nandakumar, ; Vieira, Duarte, & Dias, ; Vieira et al., ), but while the ascidian is less resistant to predation when not having an escape window that enables the colony to attain large sizes (Oricchio, Flores, & Dias, ; Osman & Whitlatch, ; Vieira et al., , ), the hard mineralized body of the bryozoan confers resistance against predators since early stages (Lidgard, ). Conversely, the arborescent founder does not effectively monopolize space (Walters & Wethey, ) and could potentially facilitate the establishment of other organisms due to its tridimensional structure (Breitburg, ; Russ, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, the arborescent founder does not effectively monopolize space (Walters & Wethey, 1996) and could F I G U R E 1 Yacht Club Ilhabela (YCI) study site at São Sebastião Island, southeastern Brazil (23°46′S/45°21′W). Modified from Vieira et al (2016) potentially facilitate the establishment of other organisms due to its tridimensional structure (Breitburg, 1985;Russ, 1980). Although we were not able to estimate all differences in life history traits among the species, we assumed that traits related to space preemption/provision and vulnerability to predation are of paramount importance to community dynamics, as long as space is a limiting resource.…”

Section: Target Founder Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Vieira

Flores

Dias

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Community assembly may not follow predictable successional stages, with a large fraction of the species pool constituted by potential pioneering species and successful founders defined through lottery. In such systems, priority effects may be relevant in the determination of trajectories of developing communities and hence diversity and assemblage structure at later advanced states. In order to assess how different founder species may trigger variable community trajectories and structures, we conducted an experimental study using subtidal sessile assemblages as model. We manipulated the identity of functionally different founders and initial colony size (a proxy of the time lag before the arrival of later species), and followed trajectories. We did not observe any effects of colony size on response variables, suggesting that priority effects take place even when the time lag between the establishment of pioneering species and late colonizers is very short. Late community structure at experimental panels that started either with the colonial ascidian Botrylloides nigrum, or the arborescent bryozoan Bugula neritina, was similar to control panels allowed natural assembling. In spite of high potential for fast space domination, and hence negative priority effects, B. nigrum suffered high mortality and did not persist throughout succession. Bugula neritina provided complex physical microhabitats through conspecific clustering that have enhanced larval settlement of late species arrivals, but no apparent facilitation was observed. Differently, panels founded by the encrusting bryozoan Schizoporella errata led to different and less diverse communities compared to naturally assembled panels, evidencing strong negative priority effects through higher persistence and space preemption. Schizoporella errata founder colonies inhibited further conspecific settlement, which may greatly relax intraspecific competition, allowing resource allocation to colony growth and space domination, thus reducing the chances for the establishment of other species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Target Founder Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Vieira

Flores

Dias

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics

Freestone

Torchin

Jurgens

et al. 2021

Ecology

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The hypothesis that biotic interactions strengthen toward lower latitudes provides a framework for linking community-scale processes with the macroecological scales that define our biosphere. Despite the importance of this hypothesis for understanding community assembly and ecosystem functioning, the extent to which interaction strength varies across latitude and the effects of this variation on natural communities remain unresolved. Predation in particular is central to ecological and evolutionary dynamics across the globe, yet very few studies explore both community-scale causes and outcomes of predation across latitude. Here we expand beyond prior studies to examine two important components of predation strength: intensity of predation (including multiple dimensions of the predator guild) and impact on prey community biomass and structure, providing one of the most comprehensive examinations of predator-prey interactions across latitude. Using standardized experiments, we tested the hypothesis that predation intensity and impact on prey communities were stronger at lower latitudes. We further assessed prey recruitment to evaluate the potential for this process to mediate predation effects. We used sessile marine invertebrate communities and their fish predators in nearshore environments as a model system, with experiments conducted at 12 sites in four regions spanning the tropics to the subarctic. Our results show clear support for an increase in both predation intensity and impact at lower relative to higher latitudes. The predator guild was more diverse at low latitudes, with higher predation rates, longer interaction durations, and larger predator body sizes, suggesting stronger predation intensity in the tropics. Predation also reduced prey biomass and altered prey composition at low latitudes, with no effects at high latitudes. Although recruitment rates were up to three orders of magnitude higher in the tropics than the subarctic, prey replacement through this process was insufficient to dampen completely the strong impacts of predators in the tropics. Our study provides a novel perspective on the biotic interaction hypothesis, suggesting that multiple components of the predator community likely contribute to predation intensity at low latitudes, with important consequences for the structure of prey communities.

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Speed and degree of functional and compositional recovery varies with latitude and community age

Bonfim,

López,

Repetto

et al. 2024

Ecology

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Rates at which a community recovers after disturbance, or its resilience, can be accelerated by increased net primary productivity and recolonization dynamics such as recruitment. These mechanisms can vary across biogeographic gradients, such as latitude, suggesting that biogeography is likely important to predicting resilience. To test whether community resilience, informed by functional and compositional recovery, hinges on geographic location, we employed a standardized replicated experiment on marine invertebrate communities across four regions from the tropics to the subarctic zone. Communities assembled naturally on standardized substrate while experiencing distinct levels of biomass removal (no removal, low disturbance, and high disturbance), which opened space for new colonizers, thereby providing a pulse of limited resource to these communities. We then quantified functional (space occupancy and biomass) and compositional recovery from these repeated pulse disturbances across two community assembly timescales (early and late at 3 and 12 months, respectively). We documented latitudinal variation in resilience across 47° latitude, where speed of functional recovery was higher toward lower latitudes yet incomplete at late assembly in the tropics and subtropics. The degree of functional recovery did not coincide with compositional recovery, and regional differences in recruitment and growth likely contributed to functional recovery in these communities. While biogeographic variation in community resilience has been predicted, our results are among the first to examine functional and compositional recovery from disturbance in a single large‐scale standardized experiment.

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Effects of predation depend on successional stage and recruitment rate in shallow benthic assemblages of the Southwestern Atlantic

Cited by 26 publications

References 70 publications

Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Persistence and space preemption explain species‐specific founder effects on the organization of marine sessile communities

Stronger predation intensity and impact on prey communities in the tropics

Speed and degree of functional and compositional recovery varies with latitude and community age

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